Tales of Asgard
by BFly33
Summary: "I'm Brooke by the way." I told him and he grinned and kissed my hand. "Do you want to be my friend?" I asked him and he seemed shocked. He pointed to himself. "You…want to by my friend?" He asked me. "Yup." I said. "Me and not Thor?" Story of a girl who is promoted to citizen of Asgard along with her family. Loki/OC rated M for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

"As a testament to your brave and selfless actions I hear by grant each of you permanent citizenship in Asgard, The realm eternal and a prominent place in the royal court. Do you accept this most gracious offer?" King Odin's deep voice boomed down from the throne to my family and me. My legs shifted a little on the hard gold flooring and I chanced a glance at Val who was kneeling next to me. She looked nowhere near as nervous as I felt, she was beaming up at the King. I looked towards my sister who knelt on the other side of me and she looked calm and controlled as always. I almost sighed but remembered where I was, it seems that I was always going to be the nervous one. My father bowed his head and all of us followed his actions.

"Yes, your majesty we accept your gracious offer." My dad answered the King loudly for all of us. "Rise my dear friend, Daniel, we shall commence with the knightings," The King said and my father rose to his feet and walked to the bottom of the stairs and bowed. The king walked down the large steps and stopped just one above my father. He placed the famous staff Gungir on my father's shoulders and spoke loudly so the whole hall could hear. "Daniel Paul Ardini son of Roy, you have saved my life and shown great promise, much more so than any other Midgardian I have ever encountered, upon observing your family closer I have seen that they all share these qualities with you. You have proven to be a trustworthy confidant and I have grown to love you as a brother. As of today you will be my advisor and you and your family shall dwell within the palace walls forever protected by myself and the great warriors of Asgard. From this day on you will be recognized as Lord Daniel the Great, known for your intelligence, resilience, kindness and bravery. As every prominent figure of Asgard you will be recognized by your colors, royal blue which signifies all around greatness and gold which signifies courage. All of Asgard welcome, Lord Daniel the Great!" Odin bellowed as my father's already fancy outfit was turned to royal blue and gold. He then moved to stand on the step bellow Queen Frigga as King Odin ushered my mother forward. She kneeled in the space my father did and The King once again placed his staff on my mother's shoulder.

"Nancy Anne Ardini, daughter of Charles, wife of Daniel, you have assisted your husband in helping myself and my family in a myriad of ways for which I am forever grateful. You uphold yourself with a high level of decorum and grace, a true lady in all respects. You make a fine companion for my dear friend. From this day forward you shall be recognized as Lady Nancy the Elegant, known for your beauty, kindness and grace. Your colors shall be of the lightest purple signifying your refined and classic tastes and silver for your natural beauty inside and out. All of Asgard welcome, Lady Nancy the Elegant!" The crowd erupted into cheers and my mother stood on the step below my father and my sister took her place kneeling before the king.

I gulped nervously, realizing that I will be next. I wondered briefly what my title would be and what my colors would be, I hoped they weren't something awful, I mean, I have to wear them for the rest of my life and wear them proudly.

"Brittany Elizabeth Ardini, daughter of Daniel, I am forever surprised by your outstanding maturity for a girl of only 13 Midgardian years. A perfect mix of your mother and father, you are a great example for your family. I do not doubt that one day you will make a fine lady. I thank you for you actions in aiding me during my stay on Midgard and in return I place this title upon you. From this day on you shall be recognized as Lady Brittany the Superior known for your nobility, brilliance and wisdom. Your colors shall be rose, signifying your strong feminity and maternal nature and silver signifying your beauty. All of Asgard welcome Lady Brittany the Superior!" Brittany's dress turned to a rosy pink and ordonments of silver lined her hem and neck line, as well as her jewelry turning to silver. She got up and went to the other side of the stairs to stand below Prince Loki and Prince Thor. King Odin turned to me and my heart started pounding in my chest and I rose shakily to my feet and made my way to kneel in front of him. He gave me and kind smile and began his speech as he lightly rested Gungir on my shoulder.

"Brooke Marie Ardini, daughter of Daniel, you have proven yourself at such a young age and for that you are truly worthy of all that shall befall you in your life here in Asgard. I can see great things in your future young one. Never have I encountered a young girl with such strong convictions, intelligence and a kind heart. I shall be forever grateful for what you did on that fateful day in order to save my life. Truly, you are a role model to all other children in the nine realms. From this day forward you shall be recognized as Lady Brooke the Loyal, known for your just nature, your compassion, trust worthiness and fierce allegiance to your loved ones. Your colors shall be navy signifying your faithfulness and true self and silver signifying your innocent beauty. All of Asgard welcome Lady Brooke the Loyal!" King Odin offered me a hang and I took it as he helped me rise to my feet. Looking down I saw that my once light yellow dress was a deep navy blue and I had similar silver accents to my sister. I walked to my place a step below my sister and turned to see Val kneeling in front of Odin.

Val had been in the wrong place at the wrong time when Odin crash landed on our planet after a nasty fight with the frost giants. She had been staying over for the week while her parents and older brothers were visiting her brother's home country of Brazil. Val was adopted as where her brother's but she was from Texas not another country. When my dad found Odin and brought him back to our house me and Val had been terrified of him. But what can you expect from two eight year olds when a huge bearded man in shiny armor and an eye patch barges into their home while they are trying to watch The Lion King? But Odin stayed for a while and when that troop of dark elves found him here and attacked him in his wounded state me and Val had to help. And so we did. As my dad was actually fighting them along side Odin Val and I set up a trap for them to trip through, which gave my dad and Odin enough time to regain control and kill the creepy grey skinned elves.

Apparently Odin had given up an eyeball, hence the eye patch, so that he could see into people's true souls and get a glimpse of their future. He could see that everyone in my family was truly good and apparently worthy of Asgard. He also saw that nothing bad would come from us being made citizens of Asgard, and that me and Val would help postpone Ragnarok. Which was apparently the end of the world. So obviously he brought us here and now we would live in the palace for the rest of our lives as nobles. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me. Val unfortunately couldn't bring her parents and would never see them again but when Odin went to them to explain they wouldn't really say no. She was going to prevent the end of the world and would only do so if she was in Asgard, and because they love her they gave her up so she could have a better life. If you love something let it go.

"Vallory Mikecia Austin, daughter of Bradford and honorary member of the Ardini family, you like Brooke have proven yourself at a very young age. I am eternally impressed by your boundless courage and sacrifice for those you love. You truly know no fear. I believe you will make a fine warrior one day. You are a fine role model to all children of the nine realms. From this day on you shall be recognized as Lady Vallory the Dauntless known for your strength, fortitude and lion's heart. Your colors shall be a rich royal purple signifying your courage and selfless bravery and gold signifying your prowess and beauty as a lady and a warrior. All of Asgard, welcome Lady Vallory the Dauntless!" With that Val stood and her dress turned a deep violet with gold accents and she came to stand beside me on the step below my sister. She reached toward me and took my hand giving it an excited squeeze, I looked down at her, me being a couple of inches taller than her but infinitely more scrawny and she beamed at me. I smiled back nervously and we both looked forward out into the crowd as Odin stepped back and sat on his throne. He slammed Gungir on the floor and everyone fell silent.

"From the glistening eastern sea I give you Lady Brooke the Loyal! From the great western wood I give you Lady Vallory the Dauntless! From the majestic central mountains I give you Lady Brittany the Superior! From the radiant southern sun I give you Lady Nancy the Elegant! And from the clear northern sky I give you Lord Daniel the Great!" King Odin and Queen Frigga said in unison and the crowd erupted in cheers again.

"This is a day of great celebration! Let the feasting commence!" Odin boomed and everyone cheered as they left the great hall together. Once the last person was out and the guards stationed at the doors closed the huge golden doors behind them Odin and Frigga turned to us.

"My dear Midgardian friends I would like to introduce you to my sons, Thor and Loki." Odin told us while he gestured to the two boys standing above Brittany. My father walked toward them and shook their hands. The older boy, Prince Thor was about my sister's age and seemed extremely excited to have new people in the castle. But the younger boy, who looked to be about ten seemed really, well…bored. Thor stepped kissed my mother's hand and then my sister's and introduced himself with a wide charming smile. I wasn't surprised that my sister was completely unaffected by a really cute boy kissing her hand, she had always only liked boys who were much older than her. Which was good I guess because she was so stuffy and uptight for anyone under the age of 40 that she would probably eat a boy her age alive. Thor seemed a little put out by my sister's uninterested expression but he smiled widely again when he reached Val and Val beamed at him. "Hi, I'm Val!" She said enthusiastically and all the adults looked on with fond expressions. Grownups always though me and Val's over friendliness was cute and apparently Thor was like that too. "Hello, Val. I am Thor, god of thunder!" He told her loudly and she raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "But your just a kid, you don't look like a god of anything to me." Talk about kids say the darndest things. All the grownups, including my sister because she might as well be one, laughed at Val and Thor's behavior. I looked over to see Loki smirking as Thor's charming smile faltered. "Well I am, and you'll see one day, I will be king!" Thor protested in something that sounded quite a bit like a whine. "Whatever you say." Val said with a shrug.

This seemed to appease Thor because he grabbed Val's hand and kissed it and he wasn't even the slightest bit offended when she grimaced and wiped her hand on her dress. Thor then turned to me and took my hand in his much bigger one. He wasn't very tall, more stocky than anything and his blonde hair fell in his really blue eyes, he was really cute and my stomach fluttered a little when he raised my hand to his lips. "I am Thor, prince of Asgard." He said and I smiled widely at the fact that he didn't say he was a god. Because I agreed with Val, he was just a little boy; he didn't look like the god of anything to me. "I'm Brooke." I told him and he grinned, clearly happy that I didn't blatantly insult him the first time we met like Val did.

I stood by and watched as Loki kissed everyone's hand and said in a very quiet voice that he was Loki. I noticed that he never once told anyone what he was the god of and it made me wonder. He finally came to me and shyly took my hand in his. "It is very nice to make your acquaintance I am Loki." He told me in a voice barely over a whisper. I noticed that he had really green eyes, and I wondered if his green outfit made them look even greener than they already were. I also noticed that he looked nothing like his parents or Thor. They all had blonde hair, tan skin and sky blue eyes, while he was pale, with dark green eyes and black hair. He was also taller and skinnier than his brother, which was interesting because I knew Thor to be older than Loki.

"What are you the god of?" I asked him and I could see all the grownups turn to us and grin. Val and Thor were too busy sharing scary stories to notice. Loki looked shocked, he blinked and stared at me. "I'm gonna guess it has something to do with being really quiet." I observed. He shook his head and looked down. "No, I'm the god of mischief and lies." He said quietly. I pursed my lips. "So do you play a lot of pranks and lie a lot?" I asked. He nodded sheepishly. I smiled but he didn't see since he was still staring at his shoes. "I lie a lot too…my second grade teacher called me a liar. She wasn't very nice. I once told my whole class that I had a whole stable of horses that I bred myself. And that I was on the titanic. They didn't believe me, I guess I'm not a very good liar." I told him. He looked up surprised and studied my face for a moment. He then surprised me by smiling widely. "I'm Brooke by the way." I told him and he grinned and kissed my hand. "Do you want to be my friend?" I asked him and he seemed shocked. He pointed to himself. "You…want to by _my_ friend?" He asked me and I saw Queen Frigga grin out of the corner of my eye. "Yup." I said

"Me and not Thor?" He asked shocked. I shrugged, not really sure what this had to do with Thor. "Um, I guess Thor can be my friend too, Val and him are clearly already good friends…" I said gesturing to where they stood laughing and talking. "But I wanna know if you want to be my friend." I said turning back to face him. His cheeks reddened a lot and he nodded shyly while looking at the floor. I grabbed his hand and tugged him along toward Val and Thor. "Were are we going?" He asked me, alarmed. "To see if Val and Thor wanna play!" I said with a look that clearly read that it was obvious what we were doing.

We stopped in front of Val and Thor. "And then my father grabbed the back of the dwarf's head and sliced it clean off!" Thor shouted, gesturing widely and pretending to wield a sword. Val laughed and clapped at his story and he grinned. He looked to us then and his eyes zeroed in on Loki's hand that was still wrapped around mine.

A wide smirk covered his face and he looked up to Loki. Loki clearly sensing where this conversation was going practically ripped his hand from my own. "I see you have yourself a lady friend, Loki. I am surprised at you…This seems like something Fandral would do not _you_." Thor said. Loki glared at him and crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh please, Thor." He said with a roll of his eyes and an air of indifference. I frowned as I watched him look at his golden cuff links like they were far more interesting than me.

"Let us go, children. The feast is starting." Queen Frigga told us as she herded us down the hall and out the door. As we walked toward to large ballroom were the feasting would be held I kept glancing at Loki and wondering why he would change his mind about being my friend so quickly. It was obvious that Thor had just been teasing and didn't mean any harm in his words. But Loki had taken them so seriously and felt the need to make it obvious he would never like me like that. He caught me glancing at him as we entered the hall and I was mortified when the queen showed me to my seat and it was next to Thor and directly across from Loki. We sat at the high table with Odin at the head and Queen Frigga and my dad on either side of him. My mom sat next to my dad and Loki next to her and then my sister on her other side. Thor sat next to Frigga and I next to him and Val sat next to me. I knew right then that this was going to be very awkward with Loki sitting across from me at all meals every day, unless I confronted him about this and he wasn't mean.

Having had dinner in Asgard the night before I wasn't really surprised at the rich and fancy food that was laid before us. But unlike last night we were each given a serving of Idunna's apples. The apples that made the people of Asgard god's. They tasted amazing, unlike anything I'd ever had before.

From then on we sat and listened to Odin tell us the history of Asgard while Thor and Loki looked like they wanted to die of boredom. The second Odin paused to ask a servant for a new mug of ale, Thor jumped up. "Father, can Loki and I take Val and Brooke to meet our friends?!" He asked excitedly. Odin chuckled and nodded and Thor practically ripped me and Val out of our seats as Loki followed with a relieved look on his face.

Thor's grip on my hand almost hurt, I could tell that this boy didn't know his own strength at all. We stopped on a large balcony overlooking a court yard garden. Thor led us down the winding stair case that led to the garden and I could see a group of kids gathered there, it looked as if they were fighting.

"Fandral! Sif! Volstagg! Hogun! My friends!" Thor shouted as he entered the garden. Val and I stayed back as Thor got their attention. I glanced backward and saw Loki leaning against the railing of the stairs, even father back than me and Val were standing. Wasn't he their friend too?

"Thor!" The kids yelled in unison. They all dropped their wooden weapons and ran to him, giving him hugs and that weird arm grab thing that boys did here.

I could actually see their faces now that they were in the light that poured out from the balcony into the garden. One boy who looked to be the oldest at around 15 or 16 was almost growing facial hair and he was really tall and fat with curly red hair. Next to him was another teenage boy that looked Asian with a bun at the back of his head and dressed in all black with chrome armor and then the two other kids who looked to be around Thor's age turned towards us and smiled. One was a boy with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes and the other was a girl with long curly blonde hair and brown eyes.

"Brooke, Val…this is Sif," Thor said gesturing to the blonde girl and she smiled and waved. I smiled back as did Val and then Thor turned to the blonde boy. "This is Fandral." He told us, Fandral winked at me and Val and I couldn't help but giggle. I noticed then that Loki had come to stand beside me and I watched as he rolled his eyes at how me and Val had giggled. I decided to ignore that. "This is Volstagg." Thor said and the big fat redheaded boy grinned and bowed at us. "And Hogun." The Asian one just waved.

"Can you fight?" The girl asked as she stepped forward and help a wooden sword out to Val and me, handle towards us. Val grinned and nodded taking the sword in her hand. Sif then looked at me and raised an eyebrow. I blushed deeply and shook my head no. She sighed and turned to Val with a grin. They started talking about fighting techniques and Sif was showing Val how to use the sword. The other boys joined in almost immediately and I was left standing off to the side with Loki, not knowing what to do.

"You don't fight either?" I asked Loki. He was practically glaring at his brother and their friends. I was starting to think that maybe they weren't really Loki's friends after all.

"I do, just not the way they do." Loki said haughtily while crossing his arms over his chest. I wasn't quite sure what that meant but I decided to just leave it be, he didn't really seem to be in the mood to talk.

We watched in silence as Thor and his friends showed Val how to fight and started sparring. It was kinda awkward and my legs were getting tired so I finally sat down. I looked up and saw Loki staring at me with wide eyes. "What? I'm tired of standing, aren't you?" I asked.

He gaped at me. "But your dress…ladies aren't supposed to dirty their clothes." He told me in a rude tone. I scoffed. "Well I'm a girl not a lady and I don't care." I told him in a clipped tone.

He sat down beside me much more gracefully than I had just done. He looked at me with a critical gaze for a moment before saying. "You're strange."

"Thanks." I replied with a smile. He looked at me like I was the dumbest person he'd ever met in his entire life. "That was not a compliment."

I laughed out loud at that one. "I know." I told him with a grin. He rolled his eyes and gave me a your-weirdo-idiot look. A look I was very familiar with receiving.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks so much for the reviews and follows and favorites and everything! It makes me so happy! :D**

**Sorry it took so long to update! I wasn't sure whether or not to go right from where the last chapter left off or if I should skip a few years or if I should just fast forward to when Thor started and have flashbacks. I was going with the last option for a while and was about to post it but it felt wrong and you all seemed to like the kids so much so I decided I'd have a few chapters of childhood and then go ahead to when Thor started. I realized I wanted to build the relationships up a little more before I just went ahead and did the Thor movieverse full throttle. I hope you all like that idea better than the rest but let me know if you don't. I don't plan on having too many chapters before the Thor story line starts but just enough so you get where everyone stands with each other and what not! It will just be a handful of little misadventures and how the gang all deals with it and then I'll get the ball rolling on the movie! Though I do warn you that I do plan on having Brooke's presence in Loki's life not change his personality exactly, but definitely change the outcome of the Thor story quite a bit! He's not going to be quite so unhinged and desperate for attention and validation because he already gets it from Brooke, when in the movie he has no one. So yea, that's pretty much it. I'll stop rambling now. And I hope you like this chapter! Sorry if there's grammatical errors or something doesn't make sense or I ramble too much! I wrote this in the middle of the night. It's a little short but I just wanted to make sure you guys liked were I was heading with this. **

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Chapter 2:  
"Baldur is staring at you again." Sif tells me in a hushed and amused voice. I glare at my plate and resist the urge to groan. Sif laughs at my dark expression and lightly nudges me with her shoulder. "Oh do lighten up, Brooke! He'll eventually come to his senses and realize your not interested! And then he'll have to move on!"  
"And you can laugh at how his next conquest will fail also." Loki almost purrs with satistfaction from my other side. "That's the spirit!" Sif laughs out, gesturing to Loki. I roll my eyes and sneak a look at Loki who's watching me with a raised brow. I open my mouth to question why he's looking at me like that when Baldur interrupts me. "Lady Brooke!" He cries out and I flinch and wince before turning to face him. "Baldur," I reply dryly, trying my hardest not to convey how much I really truly wish he didn't exist. The table has fallen silent, which means each of my friends is watching this encounter. I'm sure it's the highlight of the feast for them to watch me have to deal with this god's awful man.  
Baldur's eyes darken as he looks over my dress and hair. The special occasion calling for something more revealing and dressy than normal. I was already uncomfortable enough without my trusty cloak, but now I really wanted to hide in the velvet folds and draw the hood up so no one could see just how red my face was. His gaze lingered over the area the plunging neckline exposed.  
I had begged my mother to reconsider this choice of gown for the start of the solstice festival but she'd ignored me all together. I'd turned seventeen a month ago, the official age in which a lady would enter her courting years, and my mother quite frankly was terrified I'd never find a husband because of my interest in battle. My sister had managed to land the leading admiral in the royal guard without much trouble. But that wasn't suprising in the slightest. With a singing talent such as hers and a face like an angel, I never doubted she'd have a man smitten within a year of her entering courtship. But since I was far plainer than my sister and I possessed a talent in archery, not singing or any other lady like thing for that matter, I was considered hopeless in the eyes of my mother, and not to mention pretty much all of Asgard.  
So my mother had taken a drastic route and shoved me into this ridiculous dress in hopes that it would catch the attention of a worthy suitor. I swear my mother would faint in happiness if she saw Baldur the God of Light paying her simple second daugther any mind.  
I'd confided in the Queen about my insecurities concerning this dress (and every other dress my mother had made for me for the forseeable future) and she'd thankfully understood. She'd told me how her mother did something similar to her when she was just a girl and she'd caught the eye of a king. So I had nothing to worry about. Frigga just didn't take into account that I wasn't a stunning, statuesque six foot tall Asgardian beauty. I was a 5 foot 6 average mortal girl amongst goddesses. It was no secret that Frigga hoped I would end up marrying one of her boys. Ever since my family came here she'd been like a second mother to me and I'd overheard her more than once mentioning how wonderful I was to Odin and even Thor and Loki. Odin favored the idea of Thor and I marrying, something about my gentle personality being what a strong warrior like himself needed, but I had my suspicions that Frigga would rather me end up with Loki. She only futher proved my point when upon seeing my dress, she commented how the navy blue chiffon would look lovely with a deep shade of emerald green velvet and gold. Loki's famous colors.  
I found myself turning my eyes away from the sight of Baldur looking at my almost exposed chest and focusing on a particular interesting piece of Loki's sleeve. Green and gold don't really look all that great with navy and silver, Frigga was just biased. Thor cleared his throat at the head of the table and both Baldur and I snapped out of our dazes. Mine much more innocent than his. My face and neck flushed with new embarrasment when I glanced back to see the whole table staring at me with varying expressions of amusement.  
"That dress...is truly breathtaking on you." Baldur crooned, leaning forward a little too close for comfort and practically leering at me. Loki stifled a snicker beside me and I heard the distinctive sound of Thor, Fandrall and Volstagg hiding a laugh behind fake coughs. "Thank you." I squeaked out, not sure of how to respond.  
To my ultimate horror, Baldur extended his hand to me, palm turned up. "Would you care for a dance, milady?" He purred and I almost choked. "I am...I'm flattered Baldur! But I really can't dance!" I stuttered out, horrified at the prospect of dancing at all, nevermind with him! Baldur's expression darkened at the rejection and the now obvious laughter of my friends.  
"You would be in the most capable hands, Lady Brooke. I can teach you the art of dance." He said in what I assumed was supposed to be a seductive tone, but it made my skin crawl.  
"She'd love to!" Val and Sif cried out together as they sprung from the table and grabbed my hand placing it in Baldur's. I shot them a horrified look as Baldur grinned victoriously. I knew they were just trying to be funny but this wasn't a laughing matter! Baldur was not someone that you wanted to give the wrong idea too, and I also not to mention, didn't want to give the court the wrong idea that I was foolish enough to believe I could tame the rouge ladies man that was Baldur! I wasn't a fool! And I would not be another one of his conquests. "I really must protest-" I started as he pulled me to my feet.  
"Nonsense, we'll have fun I promise." He grinned, putting a hand on my waist. I gulped, not sure of what to do. "I believe the lady said no, Baldur." Loki quipped from his still seated position.  
My head snapped to him and he was glaring darkly at Baldur. I knew that glare, it was a challenge. He was testing Baldur, even though he didn't know it. I couldn't help but be extremely grateful for Loki's interruption. Well, until Baldur's hand on my waist tightened considerably and he pulled me closer to him, that is. Loki's eyes zeroed in on Baldur's hands for a flicker of a second and his green eyes darkened considerably. It happened so quick I was sure I imagined it. "Prince Loki, I didn't notice you there...I do say I'm suprised. I thought a scholar like yourself would be holed up in the library all day with those dreary books, instead of feasting in the company of beautiful women." Baldur replied, giving me a saucy and suggestive grin at the end of his comment. I resisted the urge to puke. He was such an idiot. And first of all, didn't he know that more than half of the time I was in the library with Loki?!  
Loki's lips quirked up and his eyes lightened. His mood always perked up when he had his opponent trapped."Oh Baldur! Your ever so right, a scholar such as myself does prefer to spend my days holed up in a library with dreary books, you just forgot about the beautiful women bit," Loki turned to me now, gesturing his hand to me. "Isn't that right Brooke? We spent the entire day yesterday in that dreary library." His eyes twinkled mischieviously when I bit my lip to keep from smiling. His lips turned into a full blown lopsided grin now as he turned back to Baldur who was dumbfounded, realizing he put his foot in his mouth by insulting a favorite passtime of the girl he was courting. Historically, not clever. "Did you know that Baldur? Brooke does love her dreary, dreary books! She can't get enough of them! I guess we have that in common, a maiden after my own heart." Loki finished, driving the point home. Thor was almost howling with laughter now and Fandrall, Volstagg, Val and Sif weren't far from it. Hogun was even smiling a bit.  
Baldur's mouth opened and closed a couple of times, like a fish, before he regained his composure. "I have always known your color green was suited for you, always jealous. Though I wouldn't say you wear it well." Baldur snapped viciously, still flustered and embarrased at being shut down so publicly.  
Loki's grin stayed in place like he had not a care in the world, but I could see his eyes darken again. "That's rich coming from you Baldur, if I recall was it not you who stole a man's wife just because he was considered more comely than your esteemed God of Light's self?" Loki retorted effortlessly, but I didn't miss the venom dripping in his voice. Baldur's jaw clenched in pure rage.  
"And I do believe the lovely lady in question here would rather spend a day in a dreary library with myself than have but one dance with you." Loki added, twisting the knife even futher. Baldur scanned the faces of everyone watching and decided he'd rather leave than admit defeat. He practically shoved me away from him, which made me stumble on the edge of my dress and fall gracelessly back onto the bench. "Have a lovely rest of your evening with the Prince of Lies." Baldur hissed at me and then turned on his heel and stormed away. It was silent while we all stared after him.  
I sat on the edge of the bench in the same position I fell in. Awkwardly perched, the train of my dress tangled over my legs, and my hair a bit of a mess. My cheeks reddened as I noticed some people staring at me, apparently it had been quite the scene.  
"Well that takes care of that." Loki stated simply from beside me and I looked up at him wide eyed. "Loki's right, he will not be bothering you again Brooke!" Thor laughed loudly and I couldn't help but smile a little.  
Everyone started really laughing then. "What a fool! When a lady says no, a lady says no." Fandrall stated. "Yes, your the expert in that." Volstagg joked.  
Fandrall scoffed. "I will have you know that the maidens love me, my portly friend."  
We all laughed again at that and it felt good to have that whole situation behind me. A moment passed as Volstagg, Sif, Val and Fandrall bickered good naturedly, Thor refereeing as usual and Hogun, Loki and I staying quiet for the most part as usual. I turned to Loki and nudged him lightly to get his attention.  
"Thank you." I said quietly and he grinned his famous lopsided grin, running a hand through his dark hair. "What are friends for?" He asked lightly and I barked out a laugh. "Friends? I was under the impression you as a rule didn't have friends." I teased, refering to our first meeting as children.  
His eyes sparkled, he loved to tease people back and forth. "There's an exception to every rule, and I decided all those years ago that anyone with enough taste to pick me over Thor was alright in my book." He replied with a small laugh.  
"Book? What book?!" Volstagg interupted us, calling the attention of the table back to Loki and I. Volstagg waved his half eaten drumstick in our direction. "It's always books with the two of you! Why don't you both just marry the books!" He cried out and I laughed. "If that's any representation of my future in courting maybe I should." I say mock warily, jerking my head in the direction that Baldur had stormed off.  
"Nonsense you can't marry inaniminate objects...trust me, I've looked into it!" Loki jokes and everyone howls with laughter.  
"Forget marrying the books! How about each other!" Fandrall jokingly suggests as he waves his hands between Loki and I and I laugh, looking toward Loki who's smiling. "Maybe we should." I say with over dramatic consideration and Loki mirrors my tone. "You know I think Fandrall is right! It'd be a match made in Valhalla!" He cries out, raising his goblet of wine and I can tell he's a bit tipsy, as everyone is.  
"Can you imagine!The two of them married!" Sif laughs out. "In the mornings it would be 'Oh Brooke have a look at this book here. Oh, Loki that's lovely, I found this one we can study together. What should we do today? I know let's go to the library! We haven't done that since yesterday! I'll teach you how to cast a spell if you teach me a thing or two about a bow and arrow.'" Val and Sif go back and forth, Val mocking my voice in an extremely high pitched tone and Sif mocking Loki's in a silkly even one.  
"I do not talk like that!" I say, pretending to be deeply offended. "It sound that way to me." Thor says with a fake serious expression and I raise an eyebrow at him, trying my hardest not to smile.  
"You all jest, but I think it's an inspired idea!" Thor says too loudly as always. "Brother, I think you sould make a proposal before she get's snatched up!" Thor says conspiratoraly. I turn back to Loki with a smile and he grins at me. "How about it?" I ask him and he grins mischieviously.  
"Oh I'd be honored for such a magnificent creature to consider me." He purrs, teasingly. I give him a skeptical look and then glance around the table. "I propose a deal." I tell them and I immeaditely have all their attention. "If by the time Loki is thirty and by the time I'm twenty nine we are not betrothed, we will marry eachother!" I say decidedly and they all cheer in agreement. The tone is light and we all know its a joke. The unlikelyhood of Loki or I, nevermind both of us being single at that age is so ridiculously high it wasn't even funny, but it was worth a nice laugh. I turn back to Loki and stick out my hand, he shakes it in a gentleman's agreement. "Do we have an accord?" He asks me with a wiggle of his eyebrows and I throw my head back and laugh. "Of course!" I cry out and he grins, placing a kiss on my hand to seal the deal. His emerald eyes glinting with mischief.

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**A/N: I hope you guys liked it! Please review and let me know what you think! If any of you where wondering what any of my OC's looked like here's what I was kinda thinking**

**Brooke: mixture of Taylor Momsen, Ashley Benson, AnnaSophia Robb, Elle Fanning, Kelcie Stranahan, Jennifer Lawrence, Gemma Ward, Emma Watson, basically big blue eyed pale blonde girl. That type deal.**

**Val: Keke Palmer or Rutina Wesley, gorgeous and strong looking black girl, dark chocolate skin**

**Brittany: Blake Lively, January Jones, Stacy Keibler, Mischa Barton, Evan Rachel Wood, Julianne Hough, Brooklyn Decker or Sophia Myles, close to what Brooke looks like that you can tell their sisters but Brittany is taller, with more in proportional facial features and a more angular and mature look to her face.**

**Nancy: Michelle Pfeiffer, Julia Roberts, Kate Winslet. Young looking for her age but looks like the mother of Brooke and Brittany.**

**Danny: Mark Harmon**

**Baldur: (Yes he is in mythology but I wanted my own spin on him) Armie Hammer**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for all the great response! I love the reviews! This chapter is kinda short, I just banged it out quickly to kinda show you how Brooke and Loki's relationship is even further, most of the chapters from now all will be bigger events not just little character building blurbs like this one. Anyway I hope you like it! I don't own Thor or Loki or anything Marvel related, sadly! **

**Enjoy! 3**

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Chapter 3:

"Did you really do it?" Is the first thing I say when I find Loki in our special corner of the palace library. He doesn't even so much as glance up from the large tome in his lap. He just grins, slowly, like that Cheshire cat character I remember from the movies back on Midgard.

"I find it intriguing that you even ask, when the proof is there for you to see perfectly clearly, _who the perpetrator is_." He drawls as he turns the page, still not looking up from the book, though obviously he's not actually reading.

I huff and cross my arms over my chest. "I wanted to hear your side of the story...proof is good and all but I'd rather hear personal accounts of what happens before I pick a side." I retort, raising an eyebrow at him.

Loki snorts a little laugh and shakes his head. "I'm surprised you admittedly speak of how you come about picking sides." His voice holds a hint of venom in it, something I'm truly not accustomed to experiencing him giving to me first hand. Though I'd been hard pressed to notice that within the past few months since I have come of age, he'd been decidedly sharper and nastier to me and everyone else. A biting coldness has overcome his personality, that had only truly taken hold under particularly harsh circumstances before, and even then Thor or I had always been able to coax him back into his fiery self.

I didn't understand. It had always been so set in stone, our group of friends. It was always set up in pairs, each of us having another half to our whole to balance us out and guide us when the others were not there. A partner in crime in our group of warriors. It was always Thor the mighty leader, and Fandrall his ever present and faithful follower. Volstagg the jolly warrior with a warmth that was unparalleled and Hogun the cold, introvert of a man. Sif the stubborn and hotheaded warrior goddess and her bestfriend Val the bold and fierce mortal turned goddess. And then there was always Loki, the cunning, stealth, frigid, wordsmith and his little mortal pet, me, his opposite in everyway, warm where he was cold, bright where he was dark, kind when he was cruel, naive when he showed wisdom, but always understanding, always complimenting each other perfectly. I couldn't wrap my head around what had changed so drastically that day that I entered courtship. Maybe it was that he feared I'd find another that meant more and leave him behind? I was hesitant to believe that someone as emotionally removed in most aspects as Loki would ever truly care or depend on others to have something like _that_ bother him. No matter what legends and stories said, I wasn't truly that naive.

But something was definitely wrong, some unknown thing had triggered a trap door in Loki's mind that I couldn't seem to pull him back up from. No matter how far into the darkness he'd gone before, I'd always been able to bring him back with a few pointed comments to try and show him what I could not say. I was no wordsmith, like he was. It was hard for me to find the words to express what he was to me and what he always would be. He was my bestfriend and I refused to loose him. No matter what silly delusions he had conjured up in his brain of my loyalty changing it's direction just simply because of something as inconsequential as runaway hormones for a oafish warrior.

"Don't play this game with me Loki, I'm tired of it. You know as well as anyone that I have no choice in the matter. I have to pick a side. It's always been that way. And you know what else will always remain the same, no matter what?" I ask, keeping my feet firmly on the ground, aware that he could turn this conversation around at a moments notice, he always held the power. But he liked it that way, and who was I to take that from him? I was used to it by now anyway, I actually welcomed it. It was something familiar.

"_Oh do tell_." Loki replied snidely and I bit my lip. I weighed my options for a moment. He was being an awful jerk at the moment, he hardly deserved the validation I was about to give him. But I knew him well enough to know, while he may not deserve it, he certainly needed it. And I would always be there for him when he needed me. Because regardless of how often he was cold or unreachable there were still all those times that I had needed him and every single time without fail he was there, a strong presence to guide me through my darkest times. So I would return the favor, always loyal and indebted to him. My title did precede me. Brooke The Loyal. It wasn't just silly words. It was who I was.

"Even though I have a choice, and I can pick my side. Between you and Sif. And even though I know you did what they accused you of doing, and that you were wrong for doing it. It still doesn't change the fact that I'm on your side." I paused for a moment as his hand tightened on the edge of the book. The only discernible difference in his outward appearance his face remaining impassive. But again, I knew him well enough to know that one little crack in his mask, meant his mind was in utter turmoil. The fact that he hadn't replied yet, made me feel even better. Leaving the silver tongue, wordsmith speechless. Something only I was know for doing. It made me hope that my words had hit it's mark. An arrow driven right through the heart of it's intended target. The archer in me couldn't help but appreciate the beautiful irony of it.

"I'm always gonna be on Team Loki, no matter what you do. There really is nothing you could do that would change that. I don't understand how you keep forgetting that. It's who I am, Loki." I add in a whisper and he finally looks up, his mask back in business, though his eyes are swirling with some emotion I can't quite pin down. "Lady Brooke The Loyal." He says with finality and I find myself smiling. "Exactly, I picked my side all those years ago and it's never changed. It won't. My loyalty is with you. Stop testing it's boundaries there's no need. There _are_ no boundaries So don't expect this all to suddenly snap and break. I know it's in your nature to question things but can't you just accept that this," I say waving my hand between the two of us. "_Us_, is the one thing you don't need to question?" I ask with a sadness that makes me tired.

Loki closes his book then and stands. I unconsciously take a step backward, and it's really just because he's so tall. He may look slight and small next to Thor, since Thor was well, nothing short of a mountain range of a man. But Loki easily took up a whole doorway. And he still stood a good head taller than me and then some. His armor did nothing to quell that effect either. It only added to his stature, making his shoulders look infinitely broader.

His expression is hard but I can see a little bit of mirth dancing in his emerald eyes. "I always abide by the rule that trust will only ever put you at a disadvantage, but I suppose I also know there's an exception to every rule and you've always been that exception _before_." He says inclining his head. "Change is unnecessary at the moment. Your loyalty will remain one of my greatest attributes in of myself." He finishes with a smile, taking a few steps closer to me. I grin and cock my head to the side, thankful for the light turn of the mood.

"My loyalty, one of the great God of Mischief's greatest attributes? It's not your sly, cunning nature, or your silver tongue maybe your ability to control magic without a second thought, your expertise in knife throwing, your boundless intelligence, your dashing good looks? None of those?" I ask with a laugh and he grins a true grin, the first one I've seen in months.

"Well what is any one being without their loyal, trustworthy, partner in life? The one who will always have their back?" He asks me, as we both turn and walk out of the library and into the courtyard and corridors leading back to the main palace.

"You make me sound like a trusty steed!" I cry, nudging him in the ribs. He laughs, freely now. "Oh I think that you have a much fairer face than Sleipnir could _ever_ hope to have." Loki jokes, referring to his beloved eight legged horse, he created himself with his magic.

I shake my head and try not to laugh too loudly as we pass a cluster of ladies of court who eye us suspiciously as they pass. The ladies of court have suspected Loki and I of having a passionate and secret sensual affair ever since I turned 17. It was rather uncomfortable, and everyone knew of the gossip and whispered rumors. Which opened us both up to quite a bit of teasing amongst our other friends.  
I find myself too embarrassed to continue the topic once we've past the whispering women. So I decide to change the subject entirely. "You never did tell me why you thought it was necessary to cut Sif's hair off and then turn it black." I say with side long look up at him. He tries his hardest not to laugh, I can see it. "It goes with her black heart, does it not?" He asks with an air of nonchalance.

"_Loki_." I chastise and Loki gives up on his pretense of pretending he doesn't think this is funny. He starts laughing so hard he actually has to stop and hold onto the side of the wall. A couple of palace hands pass and look completely shocked to see their Prince like this. And it really is so uncommon to see him having such a good time, he usually has to be drunk to laugh like this. But it is always at the hand of mischief. Any chaos he causes always gives him pure joy. Especially the more artfily crafted pranks. Like this one. He had cut off all of Sif's hair in her sleep. Her precious honey gold locks, some of the most beautiful hair in all of Asgard and then when his father had bid him fix the damage he cast a spell to make her hair grow back too it's full former length. But instead of the caramel with rich highlights of pure gold, it had grown back black as night, or as black as Loki's own hair. And then Loki claimed he had no idea how to turn it back to it's original color. Sif was furious, and so were all the rest of our friends. Thor being the least angry of all of them but still angry all the same.

I happened to be the only one who thought Sif was overreacting just a bit. And that she actually looked much better with the dark hair. So few Asgardian women had such dark locks, most of them having exactly the same shade but perhaps just a tad duller than her old one, or even a chestnut brown or a rich scarlet red, very few women had extremely light hair or extremely dark hair, and it made her stand out for what she really was, unique. Sif was much better as a raven haired beauty than plain honey blonde. I had tried to make her feel better, telling her all of this. Telling her I understood, my hair being alot different than Asgardians because it was closer to Thor's hair color which was surprisingly uncommon, if not lighter than anyone elses and it was far straighter than most Asgardian women's. She'd been stubborn as usual though, vehemently wishing for her old hair back and cursing Loki to Hel.

I still couldn't help but laugh along with Loki even if Sif was my friend. Because firstly, I found it quite funny and secondly, Loki's laughter was infinitely contagious. We laughed for a long moment and finally when I had felt that too many people had passed and eyed us with strange looks, I pulled him away from the wall. "_Loki_...let's go." I urged him, all the while still laughing. He chuckled a little more as we continued down the open hallways.

"Don't tell anyone..." I warned him as we entered the arch way that would bring us into the main feasting hall. "But, I think it's absolutely hysterical what you did to Sif's hair." I whisper to him conspiratorially as we enter the main hall. He puts on a mock shocked expression and turns to me abruptly. "_My Lady_! I had always thought you to have the most compassionate of hearts! I guess your time with me has turned your warm soul into an icy one." I adds sagely. I snort and shake my head. "Your heart isn't as icy as you think, _my prince._" I tell him, finally sitting down in my designated chair in between him and Val.

"_Only you would say that._" Loki chuckles as everyone else takes their seats. Even Sif with her new hair, sporting a vicious glare for Loki. I bite back a smile and feel him nudge my thigh under the table with his knee. I look up at him and he gives me a wink before turning Sif's wine into toads.

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**Hoped you liked it! Please Review! :D**


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